Without a Name
by Angela K. Lostey
Summary: Kory Anders would do anything to protect her brother, Ryan. She thinks that they're safe in the city of Gotham. Xavier Redd would like to prove her otherwise. Is Richard Grayson along for the ride, or does he have something to do with the threats on her and Ryan's lives?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

><p>"Mister Grayson? Am I boring you?" our math teacher questions. There is a sudden commotion in the back corner of the room. Richard Grayson jumps out of his chair and strikes what I think is an attack pose. While the whole class bursts out laughing, I study his reaction. This is not the usual reaction that you see when you startle someone awake. I shake myself of these thoughts, he probably was having a nightmare, like I do.<p>

"Mister Grayson, take off the sunglasses and return to your seat. I have a class to finish teaching. School's not over yet." Richard's face turns a scarlet red, but other than the obvious, his face remains emotionless, and he returns to his seat, but he does not remove the sunglasses. I turn my head away from Richard and look to my math teacher. I wait for her to continue her lessons about reviewing the uses of a calculator. This is the fourth day that we have had to "review" the calculator's buttons. Before she can open her mouth, the bell rings with a shrill scream. The class collectively rushes out of the room. I wait in my desk for the majority of the kids to leave, so I will not be trampled. I use the time to organize the various handouts that our teacher gave us in my binder.

"You didn't laugh at me." Was that Richard's voice? It was. He could not have been speaking to me. I ignore the voice. I hear the voice again, "excuse me, I'm talking to you." Once again, I ignore the voice. Then, I feel a light tap on my shoulder. My instincts take over and I form a fist in my right hand and swing around to punch the enemy. I do not feel my fist collide with anything, instead, I feel a warm hand wrap around my wrist. I recoil from the touch as fast as I possibly can, grab my things and run from the classroom. I ignore the protests of my teacher. I do not look back at Richard. I make my way to my locker quickly and efficiently. I need to get out of here. Everything is going smoothly, until I reach my locker.

"Kory." My body stiffens. Not today. I could take this any day, but today. I take a deep breath in an attempt to collect myself. I turn around cautiously.

"Hello, Xavier. Is there anything that I can help you with? Although, I really do have to get home soon because I have to babysit my brother today…" I ramble. I hope that he cannot tell that I am in a rush. I just need to get out of this place.

"Well, Cutie, that means we could have your house all to ourselves, and I know that you want that." He takes a step closer to me, and I try to push myself into the lockers behind me. Once he reaches out to touch me, I put my hands on his chest, the books that I was stuffing in my backpack all but forgotten on the floor. I try to push him away, but he is stronger than me.

"Stop, Xavier. I truly do not want to deal with your pointless antics today." I pray to X'hal that I can control my temper before things get out of hand. Before I can lift my leg up to kick Xavier, one of his friends calls out to him, saving me a trip to the principal's office, and a suspension.

He lowers his voice to a low whisper and says, "this isn't over, Cutie. In the end, I will get you, and there will be nothing that you can do about it, Princess." His threat makes my blood turn cold. I have been threatened before when I was captured, but never in Gotham City, not where I am supposed to be safe.

He leans in to plant a kiss on my lips, and I close my eyes to try and hide from the world. His lips land on my cheek instead. I let out a breath that I did not know that I was holding. Once he leaves, I rush to stuff all of my supplies into my backpack. I run through the hallways of my school until I reach the exit door. I burst through the doors and I begin the walk back to my house. We live in close proximity to the school. It was one of the reasons that Galfore chose to buy the house.

Galfore is a close family friend, and my adoptive father, I suppose. He took my brother and me in when our parents were killed in our home country of Tamaran. My sister joined the people who killed our parents, the Citadel, a rogue group of people from Tamaran. My brother and I were captured by the Citadel. Ryan was just a baby when all of this occurred, but I was at least ten years old. I traded my childhood for training. Galfore rescued us, orders from my father, the king. My instincts have not left me, and I am still a soldier a heart. It is one of the many things that I wish I could abandon. Six years of torture has not been kind to me. As long as Ryan can remain as innocent as he can with all that has happened, all of my work will have been worth it.

* * *

><p>Once I reach my house, I set my things down by the dining room table. I then run around the house, making sure to lock all of the doors and windows. I do not want Xavier to come near me or Ryan. Once Galfore returns home, I need to inform him of my new discoveries.<p>

"Kory! Kory! Kory, you're home! I had the best time in school today, and I made a new friend! His name is Tim. Kory?" I look at the last window that I need to lock, making sure that I locked it.

"What did you say, Ryan? I am sorry, I was distracted." I tear my attention away from the windows and look at my brother. He is practically a copy of myself. We both have deep emerald eyes and dark red hair, although his is curly and mine is straight. Of course, we both inherited a healthy tan, a trait of the Tamaranean people.

"Kory, are you okay? You look sad." His face contorts into one of worry, and I instantly feel horrible.

"Oh, Ryan, I did not mean to make you feel bad. I just had a hard day at school. My teachers gave me a lot of homework," I end with a smile. I ruffle his hair. "So what is this I hear about you making a new friend?"

His face immediately lights up at the mention of his new friend, and all of my worries start to disappear. He takes a deep breath and starts to explain his school day, "well, I saw that Tim was all alone at lunch because he was new. The kids at my table didn't mind, and I sat next to him. He has one brother, but I forgot his name, and he's really cool. Can we have a playdate sometime?" he pleads.

"Ryan, you know that we must ask Galfore before you can have anyone over, or before you go anywhere, but I will ask him when he gets home." His face lights up. He runs over and hugs me.

"Thank you, Kory! You're the best sister ever!"

"You are welcome. Now, let us do our homework, yes?" Ryan and I sit down at the table and we get out our homework. Just as we begin to start on it, I hear a knock at the door. No one ever comes to this house, other than Galfore, Ryan, and myself. Galfore always has a key with him. I make sure that Ryan is on his way to his room before I walk over to the door. I check the knife that I keep with me at all times, and I unlock it. I look through the small glass hole in the door to see a figure in a black hoodie and sunglasses. The figure somewhat resembles Xavier. I look down at my combat boots and I try to visualize my knife through my jeans. I put my house key in my pocket. I take a second to gather my confidence and I open the door, lock the bottom lock, step out, and close the door as quickly as I can manage. I look around the small neighborhood to see that no one else is outside, and I force my best formal smile and ask, "hello, how may I help you?"

The figure moves toward me, and once again, my instincts take over, and before I know what I am doing, I have pinned the figure to the ground with its back to the sky without much struggle. I hear a small grunt of protest.

"I swear that if you are Xavier, I will make you regret everything that you have ever done or said, and if you come near my brother I will kill you without hesitation. Do I make myself clear?" I hear a grunt and I proceed, "now, identify yourself."

"Damn, Kory," the voice comes out in muffled tones, "I never knew you had that in you. I'll never come close to you again," a memory of my sister briefly flashes, "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Identify yourself," I command, and I twist the male's wrists for good measure.

"Ah! It's me, Kory," and there is another groan muffled into the pavement, "it's Dick. Grayson. Dick Grayson." My assumptions about the figure being Xavier were incorrect, but I still need to know why Richard followed me home. I proceed to question him further.

"Why did you follow me home? Could this conversation not wait until school to be had?"

"Kory, if you just let me up, then I can explain why I'm here." I internally debate with myself for a brief moment. I do a mental survey of my house for security and decide that ultimately, Ryan will be safe. I cautiously ease off of Richard and release him from the pin that I had held him in. He grabs his sunglasses and slides them back onto his face before he gets up. I have never seen his eyes. He lets out a small sigh and rubs his wrists.

"Explain."

"Great, now I'm going to have bruises on my wrists, and I'm going to have to wear sleeves in the middle of spring. Right, explaining my stalker behavior. I have the right to know why you tried to punch me! You ran off before I could find you, so I followed you. That's not weird. Now you explain why you practically tried to kill me."

I lean down to my right boot and slide the switch on my knife to a locked position, and I can feel Richard's eyes on me the entire way. I do not want to answer Richard's question, so I settle for half-truths and I answer, "you touched me. I do not enjoy physical contact with other entities of the homo sapiens species. You are dressed in all black attire to cover up your identity, and this is a small neighborhood. This city is known for its assaults. I had every right to assume the worst." I look up to see a small trail of blood falling down Richard's forehead. "I apologize for injuring you. I was simply being cautious, I had no intentions of inflicting harm upon you. Let us go inside so I may dress your wounds. It is the least that I can do after what I have done to you."

At this, Richard reaches up to touch where my eyes were moments ago. He lays his index finger directly on top of the small laceration, and slightly winces. He brings his hand down to his jeans and wipes the blood off of his finger. "Uh, yeah. I mean, sure. That'd be nice."

I take my key out of my pocket, and Richard raises his uninjured eyebrow in a questioning manor, "you have this down to a science, don't you?" I ignore his comment and open the door, let Richard in, and then, I lock the door behind me. I do not see Ryan upon first glance, which means that he has followed my instructions. I call out to him until I hear a small squeak beside me at the window directly behind the porch. I bend down meet him at his eye level. I place both of his hands in mine.

I bring my voice to a soft whisper, "Ryan, you know when there is someone at the door that we do not know, that we go to our rooms, lock our doors, turn off the lights, and hide in the closets, yes?"

"I know Kory, but I just wanted to watch. I've never met a stranger before." He looks at Richard.

"This is not a stranger. This is Richard." What do I address Richard as? We are classmates, but nothing more. For Ryan's sake, I will call him a friend. "Richard is a friend from school." I hear Richard mumble under his breath at the mention of being friends.

"Then why did you hurt him?" My heart feels like it has stopped beating. For six years I have raised Ryan, and I do not want him to think of me as he does my sister.

"It was an accident. I did not know that Richard was going to come over today, and he was not dressed like he normally is, so I had to treat him like Galfore told me to," I look down and pause before continuing, "I did not want you to get hurt." I try to smile and blink away the tears forming in my eyes. Ryan jumps into my arms and pulls me into a tight hug, and I hug him back just as tightly. I lift him up and I put him on my waist. I pull back a little to look at my brother. "Now, do you want to help me fix Richard?"

He nods with a bright smile and turns to Richard's confused expression. He studies him like a new toy and sticks his tiny hand out, "hi, Richard. I'm Ryan, Kory's brother." Richard, amused, shakes Ryan's hand and smiles.

"Come on, Kory! Let's fix Richard! I'll race you to the bathroom." He jumps down from my arms, and I laugh.

"How long do you think it'll take him to notice that he needs me, to fix me?"

"Not very-" I begin to say, but I am cut off by Ryan's shout of our names. I shout back, "we will be right there! I just have to speak with Richard, first!"

I turn to Richard and open my mouth to speak, but he beats me to it, "I know, hurt him and die. Now lead the way." I nod and trace the path that Ryan had just ran. The walk over is silent, until we reach the bathroom and Ryan jumps out and starts to drag Richard in by the hand. He looks at me, and we both share a quiet smile.

"Ryan, do you remember how I taught you to treat cuts?" He nods. "Then give the orders Doctor Ryan," and I mock salute him.

"Nurse Kory, I need a towel and a towel with soapy water. Oh, and I need the sticky pictures and the slimy stuff with a cotton swab, you can put those on."

"Yes, sir," and I begin to gather the supplies. I take care of the two towels and the antiseptic, and I find _Batman_ bandages and smirk. "I have the supplies, Doctor," and I whisper, "you must not forget to tell Richard what you are going to do." He nods, and turns to Richard.

"Okay, Patient Richard, I'm Doctor Ryan and I'll be fixing you today," he points to me, "and this is Nurse Kory. First, I'm going to wash your cut with the soapy towel, and then the clean towel with clean water, but you have to sit down over there," he points to the edge of the bathtub. Richard, to his credit, does as he is told.

"I need to take off your sunglasses so I can clean your cut," Ryan says. He starts to reach for them, to take them off, but Richard grabs his hands gently and sets them back down. He looks to the ground, as if he is debating with himself, and then he looks back up at Ryan.

"I need these to stay on, Ryan. Will you do that for me?" he asks softly, as though he might wake a baby if he were to speak any louder. Ryan, sensing that this is a fragile subject gently cleans Richard's wound, washing out any debris from the concrete, and then cleans the soapy water out with the wet part of the clean towel. Then, he pats the cut dry with the remainder of the clean towel. "Now, Nurse Kory will put the slimy stuff on and the sticky pictures." He hugs Richard and tells him goodbye, and that he has to finish his homework. He also adds that Richard should be a good boy. Richard and I both laugh at that.

Richard stands up, and I push on his shoulders to make him sit back down. I close the bathroom door. "Thank you for letting Ryan play doctor. That is what he wants to be when he grows up, so I have been teaching him. Now, I just have to put the antiseptic on and bandage you." He raises his eyebrow. "I do not want to disappoint Ryan." I grab the cotton swab and apply a small amount of the antiseptic to the tip of it and gently apply it to Richard's wound. He winces.

"I am sorry for all of the pain that I have caused you today. They were involuntary reactions in accordance to past events." I pull out the bandages. I hear Richard groan.

"Do I have to wear that? Everyone will laugh at me at school." I smile.

"You do not want to disappoint Ryan, yes?" He sighs and nods. "Then I suggest that you wear this until you leave. You may remove it at a later time this evening, so that you do not have to wear it to school."

"Fine," he grumbles. I take out a bandage, and I apply it to the wound.

"There, you are all done. You may leave now, Patient Richard." He stands up.

"Why thank you, Nurse Kory. You're a good sister." I smile. "Will you see me out of your lovely hospital?" He gestures to the bathroom. I laugh.

"Of course. Follow me." He does follow me out of the house, and we reach the door before we speak again.

"You know, Kory? You aren't as bad as everyone says you are. You're a lot better once I get to know you."

"Thank you, Richard. I do appreciate that." I give him a smile and a small wave as he leaves.

"See you at school, Kory, but this interaction," he gestures to the both of us, "never happened. It'll be our little secret." I frown, and sigh. My eyes drift to the ground. If he does not want to be associated with me, that is okay. There will be no harm done to Ryan.

"Goodbye, Richard." Once he leaves, I lock up the house, again, and try to solve the enigma that is Richard Grayson.

* * *

><p>"And you are sure that he is a part of the Citadel?" Galfore whispers back. We are in the living room, discussing today's events. I had to wait until Ryan was asleep before I could talk to Galfore.<p>

"He called me Princess, Galfore. Only the people of Tamaran, the Citadel, you, and I know of that secret. I could tell that he meant it." I fear that Xavier may be a part of the Citadel.

"Well," Galfore sighs, "if you truly believe this, you must give me his name, and I will consult with my associate here. I do not want either of you to get hurt."

"His name is Xavier Redd." I almost mention Richard, but somehow I do not think that he has had anything to do with Xavier's threat today. I promise myself that if another altercation happens between us, then I will mention him to Galfore. I do not think to question Galfore who his associate is. I have before, and that is one of the few times that I have seen him angry, and I do not wish for it to happen again.

Galfore and I bid each other goodnight, and we head to our respective rooms. Before I enter my room, I check on Ryan, and I thank X'hal for every second that I have to spend with my baby brother.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: 22 January 2014<strong>

**I promise that I'm not giving up on _Shattered_, I just needed to take a break from that universe. Writer's block is not fun, especially when you have a ton of ideas floating in your head. I still can't promise times on updates, but I will finish this (and _Shattered_). Oh, and if you would like to beta for any of my stories, that would be greatly appreciated. If you're up for the job, just shoot me a PM. Please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed and greatly appreciated. Well, I've taken up enough of your time, so thanks for reading, and hopefully, see you soon!**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own the <em>Teen Titans<em> or anything _Teen Titans _affiliated. However, I do own the story plot and my ideas.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

><p>When I saw Richard the next morning, he was wearing the same <em>Batman<em> bandage that I had placed on his forehead yesterday evening. I could only imagine the look on Ryan's face if I were to tell him that Richard is still wearing the bandage. Richard's sunglasses are still present on his face. He was leaning against the set of lockers parallel to my own. True to his word, we did not engage in any form of conversation. As soon as he caught sight of me staring in his direction, he quickly rotated his body to the nearest locker and started to enter in his combination on the lock. He deposits his backpack into the locker and pulls out a notebook, most likely for an English class. He also grabs a smaller black notebook with a bright circle stamped on the cover, and stuffs it into his black leather jacket pocket. He discretely looks around to see if anyone saw him. Before his eyes can land on me, I spin back to my open locker and try to appear casual as I take out my binder for today's classes. I also stack a small purple notebook, which I purchased earlier this morning, to record all of the unusual events that have been occurring, and I top my small stack of supplies with a popular fiction novel that I hear is worth reading.

* * *

><p>My first class of the day is physical education. Our teacher gave us free reign in the media center to do research for our fourth drug awareness project. It was assigned a month ago, with a due date of this Friday, which is tomorrow. I completed the project weeks ago. While other kids are scrambling to in a futile attempt to finish the project, I was given free time. I shall use my free time to make the first entry into my journal. Since this is a rather private journal, I will write in my mother tongue of Tamaranean. This shall be shown to no one.<p>

In my journal, I convey the situation with Richard, which was interrupted by Xavier's threat, and I make sure to describe the both of them, for later references. I also make a note of the conversation that I had with Galfore. Just as I am finishing the last sentence of my entry, I hear my name being shouted. I immediately slam my notebook closed and slide my pencil into a small holder on the side of my notebook. I decide that I will reinforce my notebook with additional security measures when I am at the house. I stand up, grab my notebook, and start to walk in the direction that name was shouted in. Of course, it was the teacher, or coach, as he preferred us to refer to him as. Honestly, there is something about him that does not seem right to me.

"Anders, you finished with that project?" I nod. I stare at him and I briefly see his eyes flicker down to the notebook in my hand. He gives a crooked smile. "Perfect. I need you to run this book to Dick Grayson. He left it in my class yesterday. I have him next period, but I think that he'll need it in English. When you get there, tell him next time, I won't be so kind, and give him this."

He hands me Richard's book and a small piece of paper with the same insignia that I saw stamped on Richard's notebook. I make a mental note to write an entry about this interaction with my physical education teacher, and Richard earlier today. I look back up for further instruction. I wish to keep this interaction as short as possible.

"Yes, sir. To what room do I deliver these? I also need a pass." He rips off a slip from the pass booklet that all teachers are given and fills it out.

"Very well, here." He hands me a pass. "Room 116, and make it quick." I nod and rush out of the media center. As soon as I see that I am out of sight from my teacher, I run into the closest female bathroom. The bathroom is empty. I walk to the last stall adjacent to the corner of where the walls meet. I lock the door and kick the toilet cover down. I take a seat on top of it. The first item that I take out to study is the bright symbol. Upon further inspection, I can tell that it is a photograph from what appears to be Richard's notebook. It has a black circle pressed on the cover. On top of circle, a yellow "R" is layer over the dark background. I take out the black cellular smart telephone that Galfore had given me and I take a photograph of the picture. Still holding the phone, I go to look at the book. I try to lift open the cover, but it seems to be stuck. I lay the spine on my lap, and I inspect the pages, or what would be the pages. I discover that this is not a book at all, but a case for something. It looks close enough to a book to be disguise for a case. What is in it? How does it open?

It does not open from the cover, and you cannot open it in the middle. What if I can take the cover off? I lay the book flat on my lap and search the cover for any discrepancies. I do not see any on the cover, so I turn the book over on my lap. This time, I inspect the back for any discrepancies. There is a small panel at the very top of the back. I push down, and I slide the panel upwards. I find a keyhole. There does not appear to be any sign of a key in this contraption. I take a few photographs of the storage device, and I slide my phone back into my pocket. I pull out my notebook from between my lap and the book and I write down my discoveries. I make sure to include the actions and words of my teacher. I gather up the hallway pass, photograph, book, and my notebook, unlock the stall door, and attempt to discretely exit the bathroom toward Richard's classroom.

I keep a steady pace going down the hallways, forcing myself not to look behind me to see if I was being followed. Instead, I listen for the sound of footsteps. I do not hear any. Once I reach the room, I give the thick wooden door three hard knocks. I take a step back and wait for some form of acknowledgement. The English literature teacher is the one to open up the door. I am in his class next period.

"Hey, Kory, come on in! We were just taking about your favorite book. Would you mind giving a small preview of what's to come?" I give him a small nod. When I first arrived here, and I was starting to learn English from Galfore, I read to improve my understanding of the language. As a result, I tend to speak the way the books were written. Galfore referred to the books as classics. My favorite book in his selection is the very first one that I picked up. I could not read it at the time, but that only encouraged me to learn so that I could lose myself in the pages.

_Robinson Crusoe, _a name for a title. Such a simple thing to write, but can you really fit an entire journey on just a small collection of pages? I would gladly encourage the read of a book so great.

Public speaking does not scare me. I have been though much worse in my lifetime. I start to compose a small speech in my head as I walk up to the front of the classroom. I take the first few seconds to study the students. I study Richard in particular. They look as though I have already bored them by walking. Richard does not have his sunglasses on, odd. I cannot see the color of his eyes, but I can tell that they are not dark, they are a brighter shade of the spectrum, and he looks…stressed? I move my gaze from Richard to look at Mister Allen, but my sight is invaded by a familiar figure. Of course Xavier is also in this class, but he has a large purple bruise on his cheekbone. I tare my eyes away from his face to look back up to Mister Allen, waiting for conformation to start, but he shakes his head and holds up one finger as if saying to wait.

"Class, I would like to introduce one of my brightest students, Kory Anders. Kory, here, has read _Robinson Crusoe _before and is just going to give you a little preview of what you're all in for. Kory," I give a slight bob of my head in acknowledgement, "you can begin whenever you're ready." I immediately begin to talk. I attempt to convey to them what it is like to be stranded on an island, without any connections to the outside world, and how hard it truly is to survive. Even though I feel discomfort at both Xavier and Richard watching me intently, I force my face to remain neutral.

"You will never know what it is like in that moment when you know you are lost to the world, unless you are subjected to the same pain," I finish. I take a deep breath and push down the memories fighting their way back into my mind. My fingers on my free left hand twitch and I clench my fist as hard as I possibly can. I alive the pressure of my fingers once I feel the familiar sting of a foreign body making its way through the confines of my skin. I cradle my cut in my fingers to catch the dripping blood. I start to make my way to Mister Allen without a second glance to the students that seem to be in deep thought.

"That was great Kory! Where did you learn to speak like that?" I cannot tell him that I learned by standing up to my captors, so I settle for a less depressing answer.

"My father is a business man. He often has to give speeches, and as the only other human in the house older than six, I help him prepare his speeches." I suppose that Galfore is, in a way, my adoptive father, and he is a business man that I help write speeches for.

"Well, I have to meet your dad now. I need to learn his secrets on teaching kids how to speak. Anyway, I've taken up enough of you time. What did you need?"

"I need to speak with Richard Grayson. Mister Wilson instructed me to deliver some of his things that he left in physical education yesterday. May I relay Mister Wilson's message to Richard, and return his things?" His blonde hair catches the light and momentarily blinds me, while his light blue eyes light up, and his face breaks into a smile.

"I will never get tired of a student speaking with proper grammar. Of course, I'll just call Dick out to the hallway and you can have your way with him." He winks and goes inside to retrieve Richard. What does he mean have my way with Richard? Have my way? I shake my head as Richard approaches. He closes the door and steps outside to speak with me. Just as he begins to open his mouth, I throw the book and papers into my left arm, being careful not to get any blood on them, and I grab Richard's wrist and drag him to the nearest teacher's restroom. I do not hear any signs of protest from him, which is strange.

Once we are inside that bathroom, I flip the lights on and lock the door. I set the book and the papers on the counter, and I turn the faucet on so that I can run my hand under cold water. I stare at the water as it turns a light shade of red. I twist the handle to an off position, and I pat my hand dry with a paper towel. I turn to address Richard. I lift my chin up to meet his royal blue orbs. Neither of us blink for what feels like minutes.

"So Kory Anders, care to tell me why you hid me in a teacher's bathroom?"

"Do not think so highly of yourself Richard Grayson." I was about to continue, but Richard seizes the silence in between my sentences to speak.

"Why do you do that?" he questions.

"Why do I do what?" I ask, confused at the vague meaning of his words.

"Why do you call me Richard? Everyone else calls me Dick."

"I do not use nicknames because I am not accustom to their uses. If everyone is to use a nickname, then what is the point of a real name? Besides, you never specifically instructed me to refer to you as Dick. If the name, Richard, bothers you, then I will begin referring to you as Dick, if that is what you wish?" He looks down and processes the information that I have just passed onto him.

"No one's called me Richard for years, at least, not on purpose. I miss hearing my name out loud. Could you maybe keep calling me that? It sounds normal coming from you." He speaks so softly that I have to strain my trained ears to hear him. His eyes are trained on the mirror behind me. Once I start to speak, I also bring my voice to a low whisper, as if we were telling each other our darkest secrets, to address his request.

"Of course, Richard." His gaze flickers over to meet mine, and in return, I give him the brightest I can possible wear. "You're still wearing the _Batman_ bandage that Ryan had me put on you."

"Well, I couldn't disappoint Ryan, now, could I?" He sends me a small wink, and I know that our conversation has returned back to its light teasing manor.

"No, I suppose not. I will be sure to tell Ryan when I get home."

"Anyway, you dragged me in here for a reason, right?" I remember the photograph and the book on the counter. The smile immediately drops off of my face. I turn and grab the pair and I face Richard. Have I been caught in the crossfire of an argument between Richard and Mister Wilson?

"Mister Wilson instructed me to deliver this back to you," I hand him the book, "and to give you this photograph." I hand him the photograph. "He also said that next time he will not be so kind." His face becomes visibly whiter as I hand him the photograph, but his expression does not change.

"Um, thanks, I guess." He keeps his eyes trained on the photograph. "Kory, can I trust you with something?"

"Yes, but why?" Is Slade Wilson not the teacher we all believed him to be?

"Our gym teacher, Slade Wilson, he's not a good man. Now, I don't have anything to prove this yet, but I will." I was right, but now nothing adds up. I know why I did not feel comfortable around Mister Wilson, but if Richard is following Mister Wilson, why did he really follow me home? Why does he have that strange book?

"Who are you really, Richard? Why did Mister Wilson have a picture of the notebook in your pocket? Why do you have a book that is locked?" I take a second to go over a mental list of anything has appeared unusual in the days that I have known Richard. "Why did you follow me home? I walked home. That means that I took a half hour to get home. I know for a fact that you came to my house in a car. I would have noticed a car following behind me. That must mean…you already know where I live! I will give you this one last chance to explain yourself before I take action against you." I drop down in a defensive fighting stance, preparing for Richard to take action.

"Hey, slow down Kory. I can't tell you anything now, but I'll ask my boss if I can say anything. All I can say is if Galfore can trust me, you can, too." He knows who Galfore is! He must be working under Galfore's associate.

"Until I get the truth, out of you, Galfore, or your boss, I will not give you my trust. That must be earned."

"Fair enough. Give me your phone number. We still can't be seen together. Everything will blow up if we are caught together."

"We still cannot be seen together? Fine, if that is what you wish, I will respect you requests, but I will not give you my cellular phone number," I spit out. "After all, you already know where I live. Good day, Richard." With my final remark, I grab my notebook, slip the small spiral diary into my jacket pocket, unlock the door, and make my way back to the media center as quickly as possible, without being caught for running in the hallways. If Richard wishes to wage a war, then a war he shall have.

* * *

><p>After I return from my thirty minute absence, Mister Wilson is not the least bit concerned. When I tell him that Mister Allen wished for me to give the class a small speech, he simply gives me a twisted smile, and laughs. I remind myself to be more cautious around Mister Wilson.<p>

I still have another fifteen minutes before class is over. I decide that I will make another entry in my journal about what happened between Richard and me in the bathroom. At the bottom of the entry, I make a note about speaking to Galfore and creating a form of protection for my notebook. By the time I finish making my entries, the bell is about to ring. I insert my notebook into my binder and I put it into my backpack. When the bell rings, I wait for all of the other kids to leave before I make my way to Mister Allen's classroom.

Like Richard's class, we are going to be reading _Robinson Crusoe_. I barely pay attention to what Mister Allen is saying, and instead, I keep running through the possibilities of who Richard is. My phone starts to buzz. I believe that signals a text has arrived. Galfore is the only one who has my number, therefore it must be him, unless someone has the wrong number or there are people following me. I slide my phone out of my pocket, making sure that Mister Allen does not see it.

"Kory, don't freak out. It's Richard. Asking you for your number was just a courtesy. I already have your file, from my boss. I talked to him, and he said that he, Galfore, you, my…friend, and I are going to have a meeting after school today. Just letting you know. Put me in your contacts. Richard Grayson: (735) 555-0186," the message reads.

I take my notebook out from under my arm and I copy down the text message from Richard in it. Directly underneath it, I write down his contact information. I also enter it in my phone so that I will know if Richard sends me another message. I do not reply, although, I do send a text to Galfore asking him for conformation of the meeting. I do not hear back from him.

* * *

><p>The next period, I try to relax my tense mind by filling it with the Latin teachings of Mister Curry. Richard is in this class, and he keeps looking over to me as if questioning why I did not reply to his message, which had long been deleted. I tried not to imagine the possibilities of his boss or his friend. All I know that is when I am at home, I am going straight my room, arming myself with my weapons, and above all, protecting Ryan.<p>

"Is there something bothering you Mister Grayson?" My head snaps in Richard's direction. "All of your other teachers, especially your math teacher, have told me that you have been slacking off lately. If anything, Mister Grayson, I'd prefer that you paid attention in mine."

"Sorry, sir. It won't happen again," Richard forces out through clenched teeth.

Mister Curry returns to the board to continue teaching, but before he can place the marker back on the white board, he says, "what was that about Miss Lance?"

"I said she loves her calculators." The class snickers.

"Very well. Let's not have any more interruptions shall we?"

"Sir, yes sir," Richard sarcastically retorts with a two finger salute.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day continues without any interruptions. Xavier does not bother me while I am at my locker, but I do notice him staring at me. Once I leave the school, I take a longer back route to my house so that no one inside the house will know I am coming, and especially not Galfore and his <em>associates<em>. So much for trust in a family friend.

I climb over the fence that encases the backyard, and I run over to the shed to pull out the ladder. I lean the ladder on my bedroom window, and I start to climb. I slide the small loose panel of wood at the bottom of the window frame and insert my secondary key to unlock the window. I throw the window up and jump inside. I remove my backpack and place it on my bed to take out my notebook. Slowly, I make my way to my closet, listening for any footsteps. There are none. I unlock the safe in the back corner of my closet, grab my handgun, ammunition, and knife, and place my notebook inside the safe. Then, I lock it. I place the knife on my left boot, so I will have a spare knife. I use the clip on the side of the case to slide the handgun on my belt, checking to see if there is any live ammunition inside. There is. I place an extra ammunition cartridge on my belt, for spare ammunition. Grabbing a hoodie, I close the closet door. To hide my handgun, I will wear a hoodie. They must not think that I have the upper hand.

I cautiously climb back onto the ladder and lock my window. Once I am on the ground, I return the ladder, and jump back over the fence so I can make my way to the front door. I unlock the door using the keychain in my pocket.

"Ryan! I am home. Where are you?" I call out.

"I'm right here, Kory." I look down. "Guess who's here? Tim! Did you know that his brother is Richard? He's here, too, with their dad. He's still wearing his bandage, too! Isn't that great?" Tim must be Richard's "friend," and his father must be his "boss." They must be Galfore's associates.

"That is wonderful, Ryan. Is Galfore here?" He nods and points to the living room. "Thank you, my darling. Can you stay in your room for a little bit while we speak? Maybe, you can start on your homework?" I have always felt more like a mother to Ryan than I have a sister. It is always hard not to treat him as if he were my son.

"I guess so. But can Tim and I play later?" he asks with a hopeful smile.

"I will speak to Galfore about it, okay?"

"Okay." I tickle him, and I pretend to scold him.

"Now go to your room," I say with a false voice of anger. We share a small laugh, and he runs up to his room. It is time to face Galfore and the associates. I walk over to the living room to see the four of them, even Tim, in deep conversation. I cough to let them know that I am here. Galfore gets up and walks over to me to hug me, but I take three steps back before he can. I can see a flash of hurt pass though his eyes, and I almost feel bad before I remember why we are all gathered here. He quickly recovers and starts to introduce the strangers sitting in our living room. They all look like clones of each other. They all have dark black hair and light blue eyes, except for Richard. He has a darker blue hue to his eyes. The first man, obviously the oldest, is called Bruce Wayne, the adoptive father of the two boys. I already know Richard. The last boy is Ryan's age. Tim, otherwise known as Timothy Drake, is but a fragile little boy who looks wise beyond his six years. Like I am with Ryan, Richard appears to be rather protective of Timothy.

Galfore takes a seat in the chair across from the couch that the family is sitting on, and he instructs me to sit in the chair next to him. Once I am situated, I address Galfore.

"Why are they here? Why have you hired children to watch Ryan and me? Why did you keep this all a secret?" I do not need anyone to protect myself, or Ryan. I have been doing just that for six years without failure.

"Koriand'r do not be so rude," Galfore scolds.

"No, Galfore," he flinches at the use of my harsh tone. "You do not be so rude! You have invited invasive strangers to this house. You have invaded my privacy, and my brother's. You have set free _my _secrets! If I had wanted them to be told, I would have done so. Ryan does not even know of his past. I do not want to scar him at such a young age. I have taken care of him ever since our parents were murdered. I am more of a parent than you will ever be, and I am his sister. You, you only house us because we are the king's children, because you were burdened with us. Explain your reasoning for this chaos."

"Wait, Kory. Don't blame Galfore. He-" Richard starts to speak, almost sounding scared.

"Did I request for you to speak?" I hiss. "Then do not speak out of turn. You do not have my respect. You will have to earn it. All of you. Now, _Galfore_, explain."

"Koriand'r-" Galfore speaks.

"Do. Not. Ever. Use my Tamaranean name, especially in the presence of others." I do not want to be remembered as Koriand'r. I do not want to be reminded of my evil older sister, Komand'r. Ryand'r, my baby brother, never even existed to the country of Tamaran. "Koriand'r died with the king and queen of Tamaran."

Richard stands up from the couch to hold me back from Galfore. I did not even notice that I was out of the chair. Fighting for my life, and Ryan's, has encouraged violent tendencies in me, and when I am furious, I will do nothing to hold them back.

As soon as Richard's hands skim the sleeve of my hoodie, I pull out my handgun, aim it at Richard's head, flip off the safety, and lay my index finger on the trigger. "Do not test me, Richard Grayson." He throws his hands up and slowly backs away from me. Silently, he takes a seat back on the couch. I safely return the handgun to its case before I sit down. Timothy's eyes are wide with fear, and I see myself in his shoes, watching Ryan being threatened. I take a deep breath and clench my fists until I draw blood. "I do not care who explains this situation to me, but someone will, or I am leaving, and taking Ryan with me."

Galfore remains silent, looking to the ground. Timothy fiercely hugs Richard, while Richard comforts him. Mister Wayne is the one to explain.

"I apologize for my son's behavior. He's read your file," I clench my jaw at this, but nonetheless, he continues, "and should know your reactions to every situation. Galfore only wanted what was best for you and Ryan, so he consulted my sons and me to keep a close watch on the both of you. Galfore told me that you were okay with the services being offered and the release of information on the subject. We should not have proceed without your explicit authorization, first. The original plan was for Tim to befriend Ryan and keep tabs on him that way, reporting to me. Richard was _supposed_ to do the same, be he obviously messed up. I was only to report anything concerning to Galfore, and he would proceed from there." I nod, and I start to put the pieces together.

"Richard?" He gives me a frightened glance. "Why did you harm Xavier? I mean, I know now that you saw him confront me at my locker. You did not follow me home because I almost punched you. You came to my house because you had to ensure that no harm came to me. When you left, you harmed Xavier for threating me. That is why you have bruises on your knuckles." He looks down at his hand.

"How did you know that?" he asks incredulously.

"When you have had the experience that I had the unfortunate pleasure of living through, you learn a few things. One more question, and I believe it will conclude our business meeting, and start another about Ryan. Who exactly is Slade Wilson, and what does he have to do with Richard and me?"

Before Richard can say anything, Mister Wayne beats him to it, "that's where you are supposed to come in. We don't know who he is exactly. We have a few insiders working inside the school to spy on him. He seems to be very interested in the pair of you. What did you want to discuss about Ryan?" He looks over to Galfore, but I speak instead.

"First of all, Ryan will know nothing about what is happening. If I _choose_ to, _I_ will tell him, _myself_. Second of all, I think that I need to get to know Timothy better if he is going to be having play dates with my baby brother, although I prefer that they happen here, yes?" Timothy looks over to Mister Wayne, silently pleading for him to say yes.

"I think that can be arranged." He immediately launches himself into giving thanks to his adoptive father.

"Timothy, do you want to tell Ryan with me?" I hold out my hand to him. He jumps off the couch, grabs my hand, and starts to drag me to the stairs. Once we are at Ryan's door, I knock, and Ryan opens the door.

"Why do not you and Ryan play while I arrange some play dates with your father?" He nods furiously and disappears into the room with Ryan. I stop off at my room and lock myself inside. I go to my safe, deposit my weapons, and I record all of the events that took place downstairs. I lock it, hang up my hoodie, and return back to the living room. I do not see Galfore there, so he is probably in his study. I feel bad for yelling at him, but I feel as though I have done what was necessary in these circumstances.

"Mister Wayne?"

"Please, call me Bruce. Everyone does."

"Bruce…I will not say that I am completely okay with this arrangement, but if it helps to protect Ryan, I will allow it. Also, I need to discuss dates for Timothy to come visit, and I suppose I should also get to know Richard."

"I'm glad to hear that, Kory. This Saturday, at say, noon, should do nicely for a play date, do you agree? I can have Dick drive Tim over, also."

"That will do perfectly. I offer you my thanks." I enter the event in the digital calendar application in my smart phone.

Bruce, Richard, and Timothy leave just a short while after I finish speaking with Bruce. This promises to be an interesting year of what I have left of freedom.

* * *

><p>Later that night when I am finishing the end of a run, I think to message Richard. I suppose that I should apologize to him for almost killing him. As I am unlocking my front door, I cannot help but feel as though there is someone watching me. I look behind me, but I see nothing but the blank darkness staring at me. I make a mental note to start running earlier.<p>

I take a quick shower, and change into my night clothes. As always, I check on Ryan to make sure he is okay, and then I head to my room. While I am laying in my bed, I send a short message conveying my apologies, but before I can receive a reply, I fall into a slumber filled with all too real memories lashing out at me in the dark abyss. I pray to X'hal that the violent piercing of my alarm comes quickly.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: 8 February 2014<strong>

**Wow. I actually wasn't that horribly late on updating. I'm not entirely sure what to say, so you can just skip my rambling. Um…as always constructive criticism, or just a review in general, would be amazing! ** **Th****anks for reading, and hopefully, see you soon!**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own the <em>Teen Titans<em> or anything _Teen Titans _affiliated. However, I do own the story plot and my ideas.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

><p>"Kory! Is Tim here, yet?" Ryan calls down from his room. He has been extremely excited to see Timothy since I made the arrangement two days ago. I, on the other hand, am not excited for Timothy to come. By that I mean I am eager to meet Timothy's acquaintance, just not Richard's. The first thing that I did yesterday morning was to check my phone for notifications…or a message from Richard. Surprisingly, I had no notifications whatsoever. Galfore will not even look me in the eyes, but that is of no consequence. I must focus on keeping Ryan safe, happy, and cared for. If Galfore will not be his guardian, then I must.<p>

I walk up to Ryan's room, and knock on the door. He swings the door open with a hopeful face. "Before you say anything, no, Timothy has not arrived. It is only ten o'clock. He will be here in two hours. In the meantime, do you want to help me prepare lunch for when he comes?" He nods and races down the stairs, toward the kitchen, yelling for me to hurry.

* * *

><p>Ryan and I baked homemade chicken fingers and French fries. I figured that it was a safe choice, seeing as how I do not know Timothy's or Richard's preferences. Ryan and I both agreed that we should make a cake for dessert. We ended up make a complete mess out of the kitchen when we were done and waiting for the cake to cool. By that time, it was ten minutes until twelve, and there was someone knocking on the door. I did not have any time to change or clean up, so I had no choice but to answer the door in my fuzzy, purple, flour-coated pajamas. I suppose that it did not help that I had not combed my hair.<p>

I peeked through the small, glass insert installed in the thick, wooden door. Of course, it is Timothy and Richard. I could not help but wish that it was the mail man dropping off coupon books. Nonetheless, I opened the door to allow them to enter. I tried to hide behind the door. It was not that I was self-conscious about my choice of clothing, because I had been, at one time, forced to wear the same outfit for months on end, but that I did not want to make an even worse impression on our "protectors."

I did not hear any footsteps, so I squeaked out a tiny "come in." I was revealed when Richard closed the door, and I was still behind it, cringing at my unruly appearance. To Richard's credit, he just gave a slight raise of his eyebrow. Timothy, on the other hand, is full of boundless energy.

"Hi, Kory! Where's Ryan?" he practically shouts. I merely point to the kitchen. Once he has left, I address Richard with a simple nod and lock the door.

"I suppose that you want to know why I never replied." Well, that was not much of a greeting.

"And why you keep avoiding me at school," I chime in.

"And why I keep avoiding you at school," he repeats.

"Richard," I start.

"No, Kory, I need you to listen," he says almost dramatically. I fight the urge to roll my eyes.

"I cannot do this today." I let out a small sigh. "Since you are unproductive in your attempt at an explanation, I will go first. I apologize for putting a gun to your head. However, I do not apologize for attacking you or accusing you of going behind my back. I had every right to. I know that your father was lying, or not giving me full disclosure, about Wilson, so explain. Also, if you are going to be following me, we work as partners, and you do not tell Galfore or Bruce. Above all, none of this falls back down to Ryan. Am I clear?" We stare at each other, both of us having mastered an intense glare. How cute, he took his sunglasses off just to glare at me.

"I was trying to add emotion to this charade, since you're completely void of it and all." This time, I cannot fight the urge to roll my eyes. In return, he gives an almost visible smirk and slides his sunglass back on. "I was going to say I was trying to come up with a way to talk to you."

"Why? Is it because I scare you?" I question sarcastically. His face tints a dark red. "Are you okay, Richard?" I ask, my voice laced with concern.

"Wha-I-um…yeah! I'm fine. No, I'm not scared of you!" his voice cracks.

"You are scared of me!" I start laughing. I take out my cellular phone to take a picture of his face before he can protest.

"Hey! You can't do that! Delete it! Delete it, Kory!" I break off into a sprint to the kitchen. He trails, not far behind.

"Timothy!" I shout. He looks up at me in alarm. I drop into a squat and pull him close to me. "You have to protect me from your brother," I whisper in his ear.

"What happened?" How cute. He is questioning me like a detective. Richard and Timothy could be biological brothers, they are so alike.

"I took an embarrassing picture of Richard, and he is trying to get me to delete it." He turns around and his face lights up in delight.

"I wanna see!" Ryan comes running over, agreeing with Timothy's request.

"I wanna see," they chant in unison.

"Kory Anders, don't you dare show our brothers that picture," Richard protests weakly. Nonetheless, I take out my phone and bring up the picture of Richard looking like he was sucking on a ghost pepper.

"Too late, Dick. Ha! Just wait until Dad sees this. No, I'll give it to Alfred!" Timothy lifts his head up to look at me. "Can you send this to Dad and Alfred? Better yet, we have to print this out!" I give a smirk in Richard's direction.

"Hey, Richard?" I get his attention. I twirl my hair to give him a false sense of innocence. "If I print this out, we can call our feud a truce. Deal?" He glares at me, even through his sunglasses.

"Fine," he grumbles. Ryan and Timothy rejoice. I simply stare at Richard with an innocent smile.

"Ryan? Will you print two pictures out from my phone? I am still getting use to…technology." I had never heard of technology until I came to this country. My smile slowly disappears from my face as flashbacks catch up to me. I do not move until I feel Ryan hugging me. I hate that he has to see me like this. No matter what I do, the past will always find me.

"Are you okay?" Ryan whispers.

"Yes, my dear. I was just thinking," I reply. He need not know what my flashbacks are really about. "Now, let us, by us, I mean you, print some pictures, shall we?" I flash the boys a pitiful smile in an attempt to convince them that I am, indeed, alright. Ryan and Timothy beam back, but Richard just raises his eyebrow, his eyes hidden behind his ever-present sunglasses.

"Kory, can I talk to you?" Richard asks. I nod and give my phone to Ryan. I tell the boys that I will be right back and I ask them to be careful. I grab Richard's hand and I pull him to my room without another word. I am surprised that he did not pull away from my touch.

Once we have settled down on the bed across from each other, with the door left open, I turn to Richard, waiting for him to start off. I let out an aggravated sigh. This is just going to be a repeat of this morning. I slouch against the headboard of my twin sized bed, resting my head on my knees. I feel Richard kick my foot. I look at him with a scowl.

"You should take your shoes off, Richard. I really do not want to have to clean my sheets. I just finished doing the laundry last night." He scowls back at me, but still, he takes off his shoes and sets them beside the foot of the bed. Suddenly, his eyes light up. He jumps over from the back of the bed so he is laying right next to my stomach. He smirks, lifts my shirt up slightly, and before I can protest, he puts his lips to my skin and starts to blow relentlessly. My body betrays me with a continuous fit of laughter. "Richard!" I yell, with a smile. Somehow, in between the struggle of trying to force Richard off me, we both end up crashing to the floor. I turn my head to look at him, a smile still playing on face, and apparently his as well.

"That's the first _real_ smile that I've ever gotten from you."

"I smile! I do not need to battle in a war of tickles to smile." I frown.

"You're cute when you do that," he pokes at my forehead. I cross my eyes in an attempt to see what he is pointing to. He smirks. I sit up and lean back on my hands. I part my mouth in an effort to reply.

"Kory!" I hear the boys yell simultaneously.

"Yes?" I yell back, staring at Richard while he studies me. I hope that they did not get into any trouble, or that trouble did not find them. "Come on, Grayson. Again, we are finishing this conversation later. I am assuming that the boys need our help with something." I sprint out of my room and down the stairs, with Richard trailing not far behind me.

"What happened to you calling me Richard?" he mumbles.

"I cannot hear what you are saying _Richard_. You are mumbling." I turn around and smirk at him with a wink. He scoffs as we continue on our path to the kitchen.

Richard and I freeze at the entrance to the kitchen. We share a quick look before taking a deep breath and diving into the situation, well, Richard dove into the situation. I stood there, frozen, like no time had passed by.

Richard squats to the floor to meet Timothy's eye level. "Tim, buddy. What did I tell you about making messes in someone else's home?" Richard questions rather calmly. Timothy looks down with a sad expression prominent on his face.

"Don't make a mess if you can help it," Timothy says with his eyes glued to the floor. He meets Richard's eyes and immediately launches into a chorus of apologies. "Are you mad at me?"

"Don't look at me. It's Kory's house. Tell her you're sorry." I unfreeze from my position. I walk over to Ryan and Timothy, grab one of each of their hands, and mirror Richard's position on the floor. I stare at Richard and look at the boys in front of me.

"Are either of you hurt?" They both shake their heads. "What were you two thinking? You could have been hurt!"

"I know, Kory. We're sorry. We didn't mean to do this," Ryan explains.

"Ryan…Timothy, I know that you two did not mean to make a huge mess, but I just want you two to be more careful next time, if there is a next time, not that there will not be a next time. Richard," I groan, "help me." I stand up and walk over to Richard. He puts his arm around my waist. I squirm, but I eventually relax into him. He gives me a smile and looks at the boys.

"What she's trying to say," Richard steps in, "is that even though she knows that you didn't mean to make a dangerous mess, she's grateful that you weren't hurt, and if you're ever in this situation again, she wants you to be more careful." He looks at me. "Was that an awesome translation or what? I should become a translator for the police. Dick Grayson, detective-translator, and boy wonder." He waves his hands in the air to illustrate his future. Boy Wonder? This is why he cannot keep secrets.

"Group hug!" Timothy yells. Timothy and Ryan come rushing at Richard and me. I cannot run away from this, so I open my arms to hug the three boys.

The kitchen is still a mess from the boys' food bomb and our earlier attempts at making food, but Richard and I created a game so that we can get the kitchen cleaned efficiently.

* * *

><p>"Richard," I put on a fake British accent, "will you watch the children while I go upstairs and take a short shower?"<p>

"Yes, darling," he reciprocates in a matching accent, "but I do wish that you would stay in your pajamas. They look quite ravishing on you."

"Shut up," I grumble and sprint upstairs. "And make sure that they are being careful!" I add.

In record time, I manage to take the fastest shower known to mankind, complete with a new change of clothing. I run downstairs as soon as I finish. "What did I miss?" I question Richard.

"Slow down control freak. The world's still spinning." I roll my eyes as if to tell him "you know what I mean." "Fine, Princess." I pull my arm back and punch him with the anger of being called _that_ again. With a yelp, I send him flying across the room and into a wall. He leaves a dent after he falls out of it. I jump back in surprise. One punch from me should not send him through a wall! I am a monster. I need to get away from Ryan. I have to save him. I run to Richard. He is still partially conscious, but enough for him to understand what I am saying. I lean down so that I am level with his ear.

"Never call me 'Princess.' Only my captors called me that." He grunts. "Take care of Ryan for me. I will be there for him when he needs me, but I cannot put him in more danger than necessary."

"Wait, Kory," he coughs out. "Don't-don't go. I-we can help-"

"Richard, I have to go. I have to stay away from Ryan. I will just put him in more danger than necessary, and I cannot do that to him."

"Just," he takes a shaky breath, "leave tomorrow morning. Give Ryan that much."

I ponder his request for a moment. The longer that I am here, the more likely that I will harm Ryan, but I owe Ryan a goodbye at the very least. It will be more than he or I ever got from the rest of our family.

"Fine, but you do not come looking for me. I can and will stay hidden if I must, and then you will never find me, Richard. I will contact you if needed. Unless there are any major problems, do not contact me. Do we have a deal Richard Grayson?" He attempts to get up, but I put a hand on his chest, as lightly as I can, to stop him. "You are injured. You must allow yourself some time to rest."

"Fine. But where will you go?"

"I have a friend that owes me a favor from our time together in the Citadel. I think that she can help me with…with whatever is wrong with me." A smile graces my face when I think of the only good thing to come from all of the torture from my time with the Citadel. She helped me raise Ryan.

"How will you get there?"

"Oh, Richard," I sigh. "What is your knowledge of beings with 'resources?'"

"Like Superman? They're like heroes or villains, right?" His reply was too fast, practiced over and over to cover up something. What are you hiding, Richard Grayson?

"What does the term 'meta gene' mean to you?" I see a flash of recognition in his features. So he does know.

"What's that?" he asks shakily. I roll my eyes.

"What do you know?" He opens his mouth to defend his obliviousness. "Shut up, Richard. I know that you know what super-beings are. Do not play dumb. You know something about me, and you are not going to tell me are you? Riddle me this, _Robin. _ Where do secrets get you?"

"How did you know…?" he asks in surprise.

"I confirmed it by looking at the numerous interviews that the _Boy Wonder_ gave online. You had the same symbol imprinted on your notebook that day I saw you in the hallways. Changing your hair style and clothing and putting on a mask cannot hide the fact that you are indeed Robin, and I am guessing Bruce Wayne is Batman. So, tell me, are you putting Timothy in training to become the next Robin, or does he even know?"

"If you knew, then why didn't you tell me?" Is that betrayal I see? How ironic…

"I did not see a need to tell you that I know that you and your adoptive father are vigilantes in the city of Gotham. We did not-do not know each other well enough that you would trust me with such a large secret, and I wanted to wait until you did."

"Fair enough." He tries to get up, but fails miserably. I stick out my hand to him. He takes it cautiously.

"Come on, Grayson. Let us put on a show for the boys, shall we?"

"Sure, but what about the wall?"

"Your father is rich and has connections, right?" He nods. "Well, so do you. You can fix it." I start walking to the kitchen, while he just stands there.

"Wait, so do you!" I laugh.

"Laying low, remember?" I yell back. He runs to catch up with me, holding his arm. He catches me looking at it. I am too dangerous to be normal.

"I don't think anything's broken, just bruised. My massive muscles that I get from working out to be the Robin of your dreams protected me from your mighty strength," he says to try to ease my guilt. It does not work.

We pause by the kitchen.

Show time.

* * *

><p>I spend the rest of the afternoon thinking about how I am going to leave Ryan. I do not trust Galfore anymore, but I do not trust myself around Ryan more. My only peace of mind is Richard. He may keep secrets, but he keeps them well. If he will go to the lengths of beating up Xavier to protect me, I have full faith that he will go to the same lengths to protect Ryan. Besides, if he and Bruce can protect an entire city, how hard can it be to protect a six year old boy?<p>

* * *

><p>"Hey, Kory? I think that Ryan and I are going to leave in like ten."<p>

"Actually, Richard, will you and Timothy stay? It will be easier to say goodbye to Ryan with both of you present." He debates with himself for a moment. "Timothy can stay in Ryan's room, and you can stay in the spare room. It can be a sleepover for the boys," I plead. I need someone to be with Ryan when I do not show up in the morning, and I need Richard to be everything that Galfore and I could not be.

"Well, myself and myself have come to a conclusion. My baby bro and I will have a totally illegal sleepover." My face scrunches up in confusion. "I mean yeah, we'll stay over. I'll tell the boys, or we'll tell the boys together." I smile and nod. This is going to be so much harder than I previous assumed.

* * *

><p>"Kory, will you and Dick tuck us in?" I try to give him an easy smile, and tell him to wait in his room with Timothy while I get Richard.<p>

We sit on the floor facing the boys and their sleeping bags. I look at Richard, and it is almost as if he can read my expression because he mirrors it.

"Kory? Are you and Richard okay?" Ryan asks. Why must I do this to Ryan? I must not let him think that I am going to leave him like everyone else has left us. "Are you breaking up with Richard?" Wait. Breaking up with Richard? Breaking up with Richard as in we are in a committed relationship?

"My little bumgorf…do you think that Richard and I are in a committed relationship and are now severing our ties with each other?" I ask.

"Um…yes, I think. What are you saying?" Ryan counters. I make a mental note to help improve his vocabulary. I look at Richard as if to say please translate.

"What my _girlfriend_ was trying to ask is you know that we're dating and you think that we're going to break up?" I shoot Richard a death glare for telling the boys that we are in a relationship.

"Richard," I hiss. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not disappointing Ryan. That's what I'm doing," he whispers back. I hate him. Now I have to keep up this act for Ryan, but I do have perks when it comes to the act of dating…

I lay my head on Richard's shoulder while he slips an arm around my waist. I kiss his cheek and tell him that two can play at this game. "Ryan," I address, "Richard and I are not breaking up, in fact, we are getting closer. We might even wed soon." I look at Richard with the most innocent smile that I can possible muster. It only grows as I watch his face burst into flames. "We just wanted to ask the both of you if it was okay that we continued dating. So, Ryan, Timothy, is it okay if Richard and I pursue a relationship?"

"Yeah!" they yell in unison. Were we acting like a couple previously? But that is just how I naturally act …

"I've never seen Dick happier since you started dating," Timothy explains enthusiastically. I smirk and raise an eyebrow at Richard. He blushes, so I kiss him on the cheek. The boys issue a series of complaints at the display of our affection. Richard and I laugh it off with a blush.

"Yeah!" Ryan exclaims. "That means Tim and I could be brothers." They high five each other, and I laugh.

"There's one more thing that we need to talk to you about," Richard tells the boys. We all look at Richard in confusion. I was supposed to tell them. "Kory and I have to take a trip…for school. Don't worry, we should be back in less than a week. In the meantime…Bruce said that the both of you could stay at the mansion, like a big sleepover." This was not the plan. He was not to come with me. I was to go alone. He does not have powers like they do. He could be injured also! I will just have to leave in the middle of the night without him knowing.

"Yes," I play along. "Richard will drop you both off at the manor after Ryan and I finish packing," I lie effortlessly. I pretend that what I said was the truth, if only for a moment, so I can act normally, without suspicion. "Now, I believe that you two must be getting to bed. Ryan, we can worry about packing tomorrow, okay?"

I go through the same routine of tucking Ryan into bed that I have done since our days of being locked up, and Richard does the same with his baby brother.

We tell X'hal everything that we are thankful for and our wishes in the hopes that they will one day be granted. I kiss him on the forehead and tell him that I love him. I whisper one last thing to X'hal, "And may you protect my brother forever in your power."

Richard waits for me outside of Ryan's room. "Kory, we need to talk." I roll my eyes. "Not about that, I mean about our 'school trip.'" Can he not tell that I do not wish to speak with him about this mess?

"Fine," I agree, "but not here. The boys may overhear something." He follows me to my room.

"I know that you don't want me to come with you, but I'm supposed to be protecting you. I need to be where you are!"

"Richard," I whisper, "be quiet. The boys may hear you and ask questions." I rub my temple. "I will allow you to follow, but on several conditions. I need to make sure that my friends are okay with this. I need to check with your father-"

"I already touched base with him. I didn't tell him the truth, obviously, but I told him enough. He'll put some security on Ryan, and take care of everything with the boys."

"How exactly do you plan to get there?" I know I can be in California in less than two seconds, but I do not know what adding another person to my travel list will accomplish.

"Wayne Enterprises has a private jet that we can take. How were you planning to get there?"

"I am not at liberty to discuss that with you without the consent of my friend. It would be an invasion of her privacy, and I believe that she would rather tell you herself than for me to tell you." She is rather selective about who she tells her secrets. I need to leave tonight so that I can distance myself from Richard; although, I have no doubt that he will try and find me.

"Fair enough, but I'll get to meet this friend of yours when we _both_ fly over to meet her." Please stop this, Richard. You are making this so much harder than this has to be.

"Yes, of course, Richard." I must speak to her before I go to sleep. If I am lucky, she might allow him to come, but later, when I have learned more about myself. "Now, if we are done here, I must make a call to an old friend."

"Fine, but talk to me after you're done, okay?" I nod in response.

"I do not wish to be rude, but I must ask you to leave in order for me to accomplish this properly," I request.

"On one condition." I groan and wait for him to continue. "You have to kiss me. I feel like since we have to keep up this whole charade for the boys, we might as well make it real."

My reaction is instantaneous. "No. It was your idea in the first place, so this is your fault. Now, leave, or I will make you." I do not get another word in before he comes flying at me, pressing his lips to mine, initiating lip contact. I allow myself revel in the happiness of my first kiss. I close my eyes and wrap my arms around his neck.

I do not feel his lips anymore, or rather Richard at all. My eyes fly open in shock as I stare down at him, my back pressed against the ceiling. I am…I am floating! I squeal for help in a language that I do not remember learning, but Richard knows because he responds immediately to my cries of help in the same language. I start to fall from the ceiling as my mind panics. I brace myself for impact, yet I do not slam against the ground, rather against a warm plane of muscle. Richard caught me. Richard caught me from falling from the ceiling! I spoke a language that I had never learned. I take several deep breaths to calm down. I finally regain my knowledge of English.

"Richard?" I ask. He looks down at me. "You can put me down now," I tell him softly. "I really need to make that call. I have a feeling that she will have the both of us over soon."

"Yeah," he says distractedly. He swallows deeply, takes a deep breath, and points to the door. "I'm just-I'm just going to, um, go. Uh, call me-call me if you need me." And with that he leaves, shaken, I might add.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and scroll through the contacts until I find the one that I am looking for. I touch the call button and wait for the phone to ring. She picks up on the second ring. She must have been expecting this call.

"Kory," is all she offers. We both know each other the best. We both get to the point as quickly as we can.

"Rachel," I reply. "I need to talk to you about something."

"We are talking," she says in her monotonous voice.

"Not on this line. Face-to-face. There is also someone that I need to bring with me."

"Who?"

"Have you ever heard of a Richard Grayson?" There is a pause, a long pause. They know something, and they do not want to tell me. "Hold on." I walk to the guest room where Richard is staring into space from the shock of my newly discovered powers. I sit on the bed, next to him, waiting for him to notice that I am there. Eventually, I slap him lightly on the back of his head, earning myself a Grayson Glare.

I attempt to put the phone on speaker, but fail miserably. Richard takes the phone from me and puts it on speaker with a smirk. I roll my eyes.

"Kory? Are you still there?" she questions.

"Yes, Richard and I are here." I stare at Richard.

"Rachel? You're Kory's friend! I should've known…" Richard trails.

"Anyway," I interrupt, "I need you to transport us to your apartment. I need your help with something, and so does Richard. We can leave tomorrow morning at the earliest. Richard's father can take care of the school excuses, but Rachel, this is big."

She debates with herself for a moment before giving us an answer. "How big is this?"

Richard answers for me. "I taught Kory Romani in less than a second and scared her off of the ceiling in the same second."

"What time do you want me to send you over?" she replies.

"I have to drop Tim and Ryan off at the manor so Alfred can babysit. I'll be back no later than nine. I'll text you around then, Rae…chel," he informs her.

Even he fears her, as he will not call her by a nickname. How cute.

"Thank you, Rachel," I say for the both of us. "We will go and prepare for tomorrow. I look forward to seeing you and this new boy, Garfield, is it?"

"Yes," she grumbles. My belief is that she has a modest crush on him. "Bye, Dick. We'll talk later, Kory." Richard ends the phone call. He immediately turns to me.

"How do you know Rachel, or should I say Raven?" Richard questions.

"I will let her tell you that. I think it is better that you hear the entire story from her, and not from Galfore's file on me." He looks down for a few seconds, and then back up at me. "Now, if that is all, you should have Alfred, your butler, I presume," he nods, "compile your things for a week's stay. This should not take too long. I will gather my things and start packing Ryan's things. I will also write a note for Alfred so that I can leave Ryan with him. Raven can transport us from the manor, and you should speak with your father. Goodnight, Richard." I take my phone from Richard's hand and kiss him on the cheek before I walk to my room to prepare for the trip and sleep. I do not try to access my powers. I will wait for Raven's help, and maybe even Garfield's help.

Sleep does not come easily to me that night.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: 25 March 2014<strong>

**First of all, Happy Belated Birthday to the one and only Richard Grayson! BTW, it was on the 21st March. You can all kill me now for my super late update. You can all thank immnony for pestering me with updating and finishing chapter three, and placeusernamehere for her brutal honesty. **Thanks to the both of them for their beta help! **Check out immnony's story _Secrets Kept _(a _Young Justice _FanFic, starring Robin), it's awesome. Constructive criticism, or just a review in general, would be amazing! Thanks for reading, and hopefully, see you soon!**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own the <em>Teen Titans<em> or anything _Teen Titans _affiliated. However, I do own the story plot and my ideas.**


End file.
